Why Choose this Training Course?

This intensive 5-day training course is about effective communications skills essential for both organisational and personal success. It provides a superb opportunity for professionals to take those skills to a higher level maximising personal impact and achieving business objectives. There is a wealth of practical guidance on improving the effectiveness of various forms of written communication. This course will present how writing and presentation skills can work in tandem to achieve results.

If you want your reports, memos, letters and e-mail to be read with interest and acted upon and if you want to be able to present your ideas with impact and effectiveness, this is the right course for you.

This training course will feature:

• How to adapt your writing to your audience's needs
• Proven ways to improve the effectiveness of various forms of written communication
• Presentation skills to persuade even the most hostile audience
• Power language to improve persuasiveness and impact
• How to convey a credible message and create concise messages using a structured writing process

What are the Goals?

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

• Improve the effectiveness of your reports, proposals, emails, letters and other communication
• Develop more efficient writing processes, improving project and time management
• Meet the needs of your readerships/audiences enabling them achieve their own objectives
• Develop your presentational skills and the techniques to enhance impact and effectiveness
• Deploy the right techniques, tools and skills for a wide variety of communications challenges

Who is this Training Course for?

This training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals who would like to improve their business communication skills but will greatly benefit:

• Professionals who have greater communications responsibilities in their evolving roles or who are finding new communications challenges in their careers
• Individuals reporting up to senior executives or the board and want to shine
• Supervisors / Managers/Department Heads with new communication challenges in their careers

How will this Training Course be Presented?

This training course uses a wide variety of proven adult learning techniques to ensure effective assimilation and retention of the information presented. The course is highly interactive and will prompt delegates to reflect on their own thinking and communication style and practice. The Tutor will guide and facilitate learning using a wide variety of methods including direct input, discussions, case studies and group and individual exercises to focus on the themes of the course, practice skills and receive feedback.

The Course Content

Day One: Improving Business Communication & What Makes an Effective Report

• Barriers and pitfalls of business communication
• Differences between written and spoken communication and their implications
• Characteristics of an effective report
• Understanding the readers’ needs
• Report layout and design for clarity and impact
• Structure - the macrostructure and the microstructure

Day Two: Readability, Writing Style and the Writing Process

• Sentences, paragraphs and readability
• Generating ideas – Mind mapping and brain storming
• Sources of information and research techniques
• Selecting and structuring the content – logical sequencing
• Proofreading, grammar and punctuation
• Tables, diagrams, figures and graphs

Day Three: E-mails, Letters and Other Business Writing/What Makes an Effective Presentation

• Managing e-mails to be noticed
• Writing effective business letters
• Writing professional agendas and minutes
• Writing instructions and guidelines
• Characteristics of effective presentations
• Preparing a persuasive business presentation

Day Four: Presentation Skills

• The pillars of effective presentations
• Setting and meeting objectives
• Meeting the audience’s needs
• Structuring the presentation and making a case
• Positive body language
• Using visuals effectively

Day Five: Making a Case & Influencing Skills

• Choosing words for maximum impact
• Handling questions from your audience
• Team presentations to convince critics
• Supporting presentations with written documentation
• Making a persuasive business case
• Influencing Skills and getting support